Leadership Trait of the Day: KNOWLEDGE

If I were to ask you to list the most important traits of a Leader, I doubt very many people would identify “knowledgeable.”  Knowledge is definitely an underrated – perhaps understated is a better word – Leadership trait, but that doesn’t make it any less important. 

Many of the Leadership traits that first pop to mind require knowledge.  Judgment without knowledge is mere intuition – a guess.  Decisiveness without knowledge can be a firm decision in the wrong direction.  Initiative without knowledge can lead to charging off in the wrong direction. 

So, if you want to be a wise, bold, forward thinking Leader, you need to have Knowledge.  If you are old enough to remember the 1980’s G.I. Joe cartoon – you know that “Knowing is half the battle.”  In other words, by developing a broad base of Knowledge, you are half-way to being a good Leader. 

What is Knowledge?  The Marine Corps defines Knowledge as “the understanding of a science or art. Knowledge means that you have acquired information and that you understand people. Your knowledge should be broad, and in addition to knowing your job, you should know your unit's policies and keep up with current events.”

Let’s unpack this definition.  There are three clear areas included in this definition and I would add a fourth.  Knowledge means you:

Understand a Science or an Art: This means you know your field.  I am a Marine infantry officer, which means I learned how every weapon system worked – mortars, machineguns, rocket launchers, and rifles.  I only carried a rifle, but I needed to make sure my Marines were trained on whatever weapon that they carried.  I could not train them if I did not have the Knowledge of how their weapons worked. 

In a civilian profession, you need to know what you subordinates do.  You cannot develop them and help make them better at their job unless you understand their job.  Moreover, you cannot quality check your team if you do not know what they are supposed to do. 

If you work at McDonald’s, you need to know how all the food is prepared; if you work on a construction site, you need to understand the building process; if you are a project manager, you need to understand what your team members’ roles are. 

Understand your People:  This one couldn’t get any easier.  You cannot lead someone if you do not “know” them.  You need to know who your people are and what motivates them.  You need to know what they can handle and when they need help. 

Simply put, Leaders know their teams. 

Click through for the last two parts of “Knowledge.”

Understand your Company:  You need to Know where you work – not, “I work at company,” but you need to know what the company’s goals and mission are, what its written and unwritten policies are, what its culture is. 

Bottom line, you need to know what is important to your company and to your boss.  You can be the best Leader around, but if you don’t understand the bigger picture goals, you may be leading in the wrong direction. 

Those are the three facets of “Knowledge” in the Marine Corps’ definition; here is what I would add after 20 years Leadership experience:

Know Yourself:  If you want to be a Great Leader, you need to take a long unflinching look at yourself.  You need to know your strengths and your weaknesses.  You cannot improve yourself if you do not know where you are weak.  Also, you will have difficulty leading people until you know where your weaknesses lie.  Without a self-assessment, you will be more prone to missteps and mistakes – which will imperil your ability to lead. 

To summarize, Knowledge is the business of knowing what to do and how to do it.  This is what lifts a leader out of the crowd. 

Are you ready to stand apart?